Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Amann to end campaign for governor

Per WTNH-8's website:
Hartford, Conn. (WTNH) – Reliable sources tell News Channel 8 that former Speaker of the House Jim Amann of Milford will formally end his campaign for Governor tomorrow in an announcement at the Hall of Flags at the State Capitol.

Amann was the first to declare his intentions and surprised everyone by giving up the speakership to run.

His campaign has sputtered with funding and staffing issues.
I'll update with more information as it comes in.

UPDATE: I received an email Monday that went out to Jim Amann's e-list that advised his volunteers to take the entire President's Day weekend off to enjoy it with their families, and it also contained this line:
"We will resume volunteer duties on Saturday, February 20th unless otherwise notified."
It didn't quite register at the time, but in retrospect, it seems like a hint of what may occur tomorrow.
(h/t Tessa)


Authentic Connecticut Republican said...


Of the Democrats, he was my favorite!

Charles said...

Jim played by the book, formally announcing his candidacy, which limited contributions to $100. His opponents never formally declared, they formed exploratory committees, raising the limit to $375. So Jim follows the rules and gets screwed, his opponents play fast and loose and get rewarded.

Too bad the candidates never had a chance to have a public debate, Jim would have won over a lot of people.

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

>>Jim would have won over a lot of people.

He's a nice fellow actually, and no ideologue.

Connecticut could do a lot worse, and considering some of the candidates still out there, might!

CT Bob said...

I don't always agree with Jim's politics, but I can't argue that he's a nice enough guy with a great sense of humor.

But why didn't Amann do the same thing as the other candidates and form an exploratory committee? He was an expert fundraiser for the United Way for years, so why gamble on the public financing law, which at this point may be extinct for this year's election?

The biggest tactical mistake he made was by quitting the Assembly when he was at the very top of his career. He gave away a huge advantage in terms of publicity when he stepped down. Amann could have been the hero of this year's torturous budgetary process, and at the same time keep his name in the headlines as a "get things done" kind of legislator.

Instead, he gave it up to run "full time" for governor. By it's very definition, the Assembly is meant to be a part time legislative body. I think he decided to quit to get that cushy job as adviser to the current Speaker, the job that caused a lot of controversy and bad press.

tessa said...

For the record: I have no inside information and I had nothing to do with Jim Amann's campaign other than to contribute a few bucks in order to see the inside of some houses I wanted to visit. And also driving a volunteer to the HQ.

I disagree with Jim Amann on most everything, except Unions.

I heard a great story about him doing animal sounds when other members of the Legislature would give boring speeches. That's a plus.

Charles said...

I think Jim formally declared because he thought it was the right thing to do, that's what a leader does. He could have played explorer and raised more money, but he chose not to do that. When will any of the remaining candidates have the guts to formally declare?